On W.C. Fields and Cowboy Bebop
Second Inversion radio has an interesting interview with pianist Nadia Shpachenko. She has a new album that includes a composition by Peter Yates called “Epitaphs and Youngsters.” The piece requires output from a “singing pianist,” who, among other tasks, meditates on W.C. Fields’ famous comment that “On the whole, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.” Apparently Fields hoped […]
Podcast #154 – One Tape at a Time: Preserving Music Memories
There are undiscovered musical treasures potentially fading away in closets, basements and storage units around the world. Seattle radio station KEXP teamed up with local universities and media organizations to help save a little of this cultural history with the Pop-Up Music Memory Digitization Lab. For one day members of the public were invited to […]
College Radio Watch: Princeton Review, Kids, and Bank Robbers
The annual Princeton Review “Best College Radio Station” list has me in full-on analysis mode this week, as I scrutinize the list of 20 schools with “popular” radio stations. Based on surveys conducted at around 380 institutions, it reflects a microcosm (less than 10%) of the universe of more than 4,000 U.S. colleges and universities […]
Princeton Review’s “Best College Radio Stations” List for 2019
This week, colleges and college radio stations across the United States are touting appearances in the newly released Princeton Review Best 384 Colleges (2019 edition), which includes a variety of survey results, both serious and whimsical. Notable to college radio fans, the included “Best College Radio Station” list is derived from student responses to a […]
Podcast #153 Licensed and Unlicensed Low Power Radio
Two interviews that cover the state of low power radio in the United States. Stations that are on the air without a license – also known as Pirate Radio – and the low power stations that have FCC permission to broadcast due in part to the hard work of the former pirates. This episode is […]
National Underwear Day unites all musical forms
Today is National Underwear Day, and radio station WWOZ-FM of New Orleans notes the occasion with a terrific video of the city’s Nat’l Underwear Day celebration from 2016: The New Orleans National Underwear Day Parade rolls again Sunday at 7p, starting and ending at 3610 Toulouse pic.twitter.com/7VoQW2tqk9 — WWOZ 90.7 FM (@wwoz_neworleans) August 5, 2018 […]
College Radio Watch: 80s College Radio on Film, Anarchy Radio, and More News
Today, it’s not uncommon for mobile phone-wielding college radio participants to document every bit of minutiae from their stations and shows, leading to countless photos and videos across social media channels, from Instagram to YouTube. But back in the 1980s and 1990s, photos and videos was taken more sparingly because most people didn’t carry cameras […]
Radio Station Visit #145: Wave Farm in Acra, New York
Radios in the woods, a pond station, and a Theremin are just a few of the goodies to be seen and heard at Wave Farm in Acra, New York. A non-profit arts organization, Wave Farm runs community radio station WGXC-FM and offers grants and residencies in transmission arts. For a radio nerd like me, a […]
Podcast #152 – The Longest Running Hip-Hop Radio Show in The World?
The Eclipse Show on community radio station KGNU in Boulder CO is celebrating 40 years on the air, making it quite possibly the longest running hip hop radio show in the world. Radio Survivor has been examining the role that community and college radio has played in the development of hip hop culture, especially in […]
College Radio Watch: Alumni Takeovers and Success Stories and More News
While planning my East Coast summer vacation, I fantasized about visiting numerous college radio stations in New York and Massachusetts, as I dreamed off ticking off more stops on my 140 station+ tour series. It’s always a balancing act, as my family members aren’t nearly as obsessed with sticker-covered cabinets, vinyl collections, and vintage audio […]